What You Need to Cognize Simply just about Exploitation Audio on Your Web Site

What You Need to Cognize Simply just about Exploitation Audio on Your Web Site
http://www.medrocket.com/tools/articles/article090501_01.html

By Kevin P. Richardson
Health care Computer network Marketing Adviser

Millions of folk are listening to audio on the Web every day. They're not just teens downloading MP3 audio clips of their favorite songs, either.

Maybe you're among them. They're folk at home and activity listening to on-demand audio on topics running the gamut from fiscal proposal to relationships to technology to entertainment. And yes -- they're even as calibration in to health and health topics.

With so galore health sites on the Web, exploitation audio well can set your site apart from the pack. Audio besides can be a powerful way to attract site visitors and support them coming back. It's considered "sticky," meaning visitors wish move to listen to your audio and stay about a while. Audio players are plentiful and better of all they're normally free to download.

The only way to determine if audio works for you and your Web site is to get the creative juices flowing and try it.

Testing 1,2,3 -- How Should We Use Audio?

Your site can feature audio versions of popular health education articles, health seminars, news updates, descriptions of medical procedures, special health product offers, and patient testimonials.

Adding an audio salutation to site visitors lends a personal touch to your site and humanizes the user experience. (For an idea check out the salutation on the MedRocket home page at http://www.medrocket.com.)

Audio features are besides a nice way to do your site more accessible to visually impaired web surfers. The possibilities are about endless. You can even as include the audio links in email messages.

Delivering the Goods -- Streaming Audio

In the past days of the Web the quality of audio was pitiful. It was just barely passable AM-radio quality. Much recently though, Web visitors can hear really nice quality audio even as over comparatively slow Computer network connections (28.8 Kbs).

Audio quality isn't the issue that it once was and the select of content delivery now comes in two basic flavors -- streaming audio and downloadable audio.

As the name implies, streaming audio sends the audio data from a server to the user's browser in a more or less continual stream. This is nice because it lets folk listen to the audio as it arrives without waiting for the entire audio file to download.

Pick Your Favorite Format

In the streaming audio arena, RealPlayer from RealNetworks claims roughly 90% of the market. The another common streaming formats are Windows Media Audio and Shockwave audio. Recently even as MP3 files can be streamed, which has first-class quality audio although normally requires higher connection speeds.

Conversely, downloadable audio normally requires the entire MP3 or WAV file to remove before it can be compete on the user's computer. The up side of this know-how is that the audio can be more higher quality -- near CD quality, if you wish -- than is possible from streaming media over a slower Computer network connection. It is possible now to stream MP3 files.

Generally, I recommend exploitation streaming audio for most uses, unless you want to provide your Web visitors with a high-quality audio presentation that they can remove to their computer and listen to at their leisure without an Computer network connection. MP3 files can besides be loaded into portable digital audio players and several PDAs.

Cue Talent -- Creating Your Audio Content

Once you've distinct on the intention and focus of your audio content, you're available to begin the process of creating a script, recording, converting to digital format, and delivering the files.

If you decide to create the audio files on your own, here's the basic sequence of events that wish take place:

Scripting --
Prepare a script for narration. Unless you're just providing a verbatim audio version of an existing text or Hypertext mark-up language document, you should write the script in a colloquial tone. Remember to write for the ear and not the eye. Several words and phrases look fine on paper but sound muddy (even slurred) once spoken aloud. See your script aloud before you have it narrated. Do sure it sounds natural.

Record the Narration --
You can either record right into the computer or record to a high-quality analog or digital recorder and then remove the recording to the computer. The two crucial elements at this stage are the quality of the narration and the quality of the microphone.

Professional voice talent knows how to control their voice and deliver the script with feeling. You mightiness be able to have an on-air personality at a local radio station record the script for you for a reasonable fee. Otherwise, find person with a great voice in your organization or track down a professional. As for the microphone, the little one that came with your computer won't sound nearly as nice as a studio microphone. Use the better mike you can find.

Digitize the Audio --
Whether you record the narration directly into the computer or onto audiotape first, at several point you'll have to get the audio into the computer. Most late-model computers have the capability to digitise audio. Record the audio at the highest quality possible; 16-bit audio at 44.1 kHz is the common setting.

Recording simple sounds on your computer is fairly simple. However devising a good-quality recording suitable for broadcast on the Computer network is more challenging. The only way to determine if your instrumentality and technique are up to the task is to record a test and listen to how it sounds streaming from a server.

Adjust Audio Quality --
Once the audio is on your hard driving you should open the file in an audio-editing program like CoolEdit. Check Downloads.com http://download.cnet.com for another software and software packages. Crop the narration to cut extra silence at the start and end. Then adjust the equalisation levels (cut 100 Hz and lower and boost between 1 and 4 Khz). Then normalize the audio track, which optimizes the loudness of the recording in relation to the loudest segment. Another adjustments in compression and noise reduction can besides be ready-made at this time. Save as a WAV or AIFF audio file.

Encode the File --
Decide how you'll be delivering the final audio file. If you are exploitation Real Audio, then you need to use the Real Encoder (http://www.real.com) to transform (encode) your WAV audio file to a Real Audio (RA) file. For Windows Media Audio, you'll need to use the Windows Media Encoder (http://www.windowsmedia.com) to create a Windows Media Audio (WMA) file.

Upload to the Server --
After you've with success encoded the audio, transfer it to your Web server exploitation an FTP program. Depending upon the number of folk who mightiness access your audio file at a time, you may need to place your audio files on a special server, such as a Real Audio server. For testing however, a basic Web server should activity fine.

Create Links --
Add a link to your test audio file on a simple test Hypertext mark-up language page. Click on the link and see how it sounds.

Seems like a lot to do, I know. If you don't feel comfortable with digitizing audio, resolution, sampling rates, file format, compression rates, and another nuances of audio production, don't despair. Let's look at a few audio creation alternatives.

Ready, Roll Tape. -- Your Creation Options

There are several route to add an audio health experience to your health site. You'll need to consider your expertise, accessible time, and budget to determine the better resolution for your situation.

They range from a do-it-yourself approach to total outsourcing to licensing audio health content. Here's a run-down of several of the possible solutions.

D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself):

If you, or person at your organization, has the necessary skills, your could create, produce, and deliver the content yourself. Most marketing teams don't have the resources accessible for this route, but it gives you the greatest control. Recording audio on your PC has become so easy that it's worth looking into.

Script and Outsource:

You could develop and script the content on your own, and then source the narration, recording, audio encoding, and delivery. This allows you to take advantage of the writing skills of your marketing staff and hand off the more technical details to another professionals. Simply remember that writing for the ear is several than writing for the eye.

Outsource Everything:

If you're used to working with advertising and public relations-type agencies, then you'd probably be comfortable with outsourcing to an audio home for scripting and creating professionally make audio content. Simply be sure your project management expertness and budget are up to the task.

License Audio Content:

You can besides license free or fee-based audio health content for use on your site. In galore cases the licensing besides allows you to link to the files on the content provider's site, which saves you from dealing with most of the technology issues and allows you to get up and running quickly.

How Are Your Ratings?

Now let's say you've enclosed a few audio tests on your Web site for a month or longer. What kind of feedback have you received? What do your server logs tell you just about the number of hits your audio features have received? Are more folk bookmarking your site?

If Web visitors likeable what they heard, and your content is fresh and interesting, they probably bookmarked your site and wish return for another listen -- sort of like setting their car radio presets to a favorite station.

You CAN use audio to improve your "ratings" and support Web visitors coming back. The longer they are at your site, the greater the chance you have of communication key messages, merchandising products, raising awareness, and following another important marketing and public relations objectives. Done well and used creatively, audio could be another private secret weapon in your online marketing toolbox.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Kevin Richardson is a health care marketing consultant, executive coach, and writer who provides fresh perspectives and expertness just about online health care marketing. Sign up for his FREE "MedRocket Ezine" news-sheet and learn how to productively attract and serve health care consumers online. Subscribe at http://www.medrocket.com .